By By Chandler Myers
Football season strikes up this weekend for Escambia County High School and next weekend for the Northview Chiefs, which means that their marching bands are currently perfecting their performances for the 2009 football season.
Escambia County Blue Devil football fans will get a special treat with a lot of beat during halftime this year as the Blue Devils marching band will perform a tribute to the late Michael Jackson.
For their tribute to the legendary “King of Pop,” the band will perform four of his songs.
ECHS band director D.K. Grissett said the pieces the band will play are not the normal songs chosen for a tribute.
To pick up the pieces, the band worked throughout the summer and has kept up that pace with practices during school.
Grissett said the band has done well at picking up all of the songs and preparing for their performances. He added that the band has come together and begun working like a team.
Along with the tribute to Michael Jackson, the band has been working on the school’s alma mater, the ESPN theme as well as classical pieces and rock music.
Grissett said he hopes that the band comes out and wows the audience this year at football games.
Across the state line, the Tribal Beat marching band is working on their halftime show, which features three selections.
The band at Northview will play Wild Cherry’s “Play that Funky Music,” a percussion feature titled “Go with the Flow” and “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire.
The band is taking a different approach than they have in year’s past with first-year director, Scott Slay.
Music is the main difference in this year’s Tribal Beat from years past, Slay said.
Fun is a key ingredient for the Tribal Beat as more members joined with the first day of school.
Slay said the band had 32 members, but is growing in numbers with people wanting to get in on the fun.
With school starting Monday, the Tribal Beat performed for the first time.
Slay said the performance went well with the band playing for students and teachers.
Advance Publisher Adam Prestridge contributed to this story.